


Between the Lines

by TomAyto10



Series: Indulgence, really.... [13]
Category: Hajime no Ippo | Fighting Spirit
Genre: Established Relationship, Forgiveness, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-20 16:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21059777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomAyto10/pseuds/TomAyto10
Summary: Umezawa shows Ippo love through his art.





	Between the Lines

Umezawa slides the comic over the desk when they get back from dinner. 

Ippo perks up, and reaches for it. 

“What's this?”

Umezawa looks away, his hair loose from the night, falling to hide his eyes. Ippo feels the sudden urge to kiss him.

“It's something I've been working on… um. A side project.”

The front page is blank, bonded by a plastic sheeting for protection and Ippo eagerly opens it up. 

Umezawa’s art always takes him by surprise. The first time he had seen it, he remembered that he felt the drawings leap at him from the page, the crisscross of pencil lines and the intensity of the black and grey on paper. Umezawa was so much more than he seemed to be and Ippo had felt so touched and honored by the knowledge.

This, whatever it is, is much more involved. It's a beautiful full page picture of a man, or Ippo what Ippo thinks is man. 

He has dark ruffled hair that falls down the length of his back, his profile strong and from his spine spring breathtaking dark wings. 

“Wow!” Ippo says, the word leaving him in awe. “This is  _ beautiful _ , Umezawa-kun. Amazing! Is this new!? Like a new manga idea or something?”

Umezawa’s gaze is still hidden behind his dark hair, but his mouth turns up at the corners. 

“Well you haven't seen it all yet. Give me your opinion after you finish.”

He sounds a little odd, quiet and subdued and the papers in Ippo’s hands suddenly feel much heavier. 

“Okay.” he smiles and then focuses. “Got it.”

He removes the plastic binding and, looking over the beautiful creature on the first page once more time, he turns it over to begin the manga.

It's a story of a lanky average man who spends his days in what seems mediocre life. Works at a bike shop and hounds his neighbors, drinks and smokes and is pugnacious. Ippo brushes away any similarities to real persons in his life. 

The man, who is nameless still, has a bad habit of picking on a young sweet looking messenger boy who drops of letters at the bike shop. He teases him often, and on rougher days, pick on him terribly with his cohorts in the shop. They break his bike at one point and Ippo swallows back bitter bile. 

As the story turns, the man finds himself followed one night, and though he attempts to confront them, the gang of men grow grotesque wings and horns and clawed feet and the man flees for his life.

Ippo feels his heart hammering as the man turns a corner, then another, the gang of what  _ were _ men following hastily behind. They corner him on a roof, the night,a beautiful scenery of city lights and stars. The gang sneers and jeers at their victory, closing in until…

Until from the shadows leaps up the messenger boy. He's still bruised and bloodied from the man's own fist from earlier but he spreads his hands wide, making a barrier between the man and the demons. 

The man marvels, shaking and nervous and utterly confused. He thinks it's hopeless, the boy in no way will save him but…

The demons move in, howling and the man curls up into a ball, waiting for death. 

It doesn't come, the night goes quiet, and the man, too curious for his own good, opens his eyes to see what is going on. 

There, before him stands a creature so beautiful, he's blinding. 

The boy springs forth wings, long white feathers unfurling like melting ice, his dark unruly hair flying out to hang at his waist. 

It's the creature from the cover.

He stretches out his massive wings and his eyes glitter gold, filled with raw power and brilliance. The demons run, crying out in fear but the wind catches them, wrapping around them tight until they are crushed into fine silver dusted black sand. 

When all is quiet again, the angel turns to the man.

In light of so much beauty, the man whimpers and then faints. 

When he wakes, he's tucked into his bed, familiar sheets and he recognizes his mess of takeout containers and porn mags. 

What is not usual is the beautiful creature sitting at the edge of his bed. 

Ippo laughs as the man topples over, squealing and the angel looks at him worried and confused. 

Their conversation is stilted and odd, heavy with awe and disbelief but then the man curls not to the creature and swallows hard. He asks if he really is the messenger boy, and the angel nods.

Ippo tracks the words, wondering along with the man why, if the angel was so powerful, why would he let a brute like him even dare touch him. 

The angel shrugs, as if it is no big deal. The angel didn't hate the man, and he certainly didn't want him to be demon food. But, it would be nice if they became friends now. The man stares in awe.

The creature is drawn so beautiful, so much detail from the shading of his irises to the shadows of his feathered wings, Ippo can see that Umezawa put so much love and care into this character. When the panel shows the creatures smile, Ippo feels his heart swell at the beauty of it. 

The delinquent of the story must feel the same because he turns his face away, muttering pathetically about wanting to repay his debt, and wanting…

The delinquent hesitates, and Ippo's eyes water at how fat tears fill the delinquents eyes. He keeps his eyes on the ground, mutters and sniffles.

And then he asks for forgiveness. 

Ippo's breath catches, he suddenly understands. 

He looks up at Umezawa, to find the man hands curled into tight fists, knuckles white, face ashen.

“Umezawa-kun?” 

The man still won't look at him in the eye, and Ippo tries again. 

“Masahiko?”

At the first name, Umezawa looks up, stricken and shocked. 

Ippo leans forward, hands cupping over his cold cheeks, forcing the man to meet his eye. 

“How does the story end?” he asks. Umezawa’s pupils are dark, his eyes going wet. 

“I… I don't know.” Umezawa replies, his voice weak.

Ippo smiles and then kisses him soft, a feather’s touch, and Umezawa melts under him. 

“They will become friends. Best friends. And eventually lovers. Grow old together. The angel forgives the man. It's in the past.”

Umezawa closes his eyes against his tears. 

Ippo kisses him again and Umezawa reaches for him, winding tight.

“The angel loves the man very much, you know.”

And Umezawa kisses him hard and pressing at that. 

That night they lay in each other's arm, warm and soft. 

Ippo looks over to the table where the manga still lays. 

“I don't look like an angel though.” he says frowning at the odd comparison. Umezawa laughs into his shoulder. 

“You have no idea…”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow @dipuc_ on Twitter for more daily drabbles


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